Orchid G + Smart Girl’s Guide to the G-spot provided for review by Babeland

Zinaida

To begin with, I just want to say that on a whole, I haven’t been entirely interested in G-spot toys, or actually, the G-spot. This could be for a couple of reasons: 1) I’m fairly a newbie when it comes to sex, so I’m still completely enamored by the clit, or 2) While I know a ton about the G-spot, I’ve never really been pushed to try it—sometimes I have a hard time changing from something that’s tried and true. So, I was pretty excited to receive the Orchid G and The Smart Girl’s Guide to G-spot combo.

Opening the package for the vibrator though, the only thing I could think was, “Shit, this thing is huge!” I’m not gonna lie, I was rather intimidated by it. Its widest point is 1-3/8”, and it’s barely smaller than a large egg, as you can tell by the picture. The vibrations in this baby are hella strong though. You turn on the vibrator by twisting the bottom, and it increases in intensity the more you twist. The Orchid G on low is comparable to the Babeland Bullet on high. When V was using it for clit stimulation, I was straddling her shin, and I could feel the vibrations from her leg bone (which could make for some interesting play).

Overall though, I couldn’t get the vibe in. Ok, ok—I didn’t even TRY to get the vibe in. As I was trying and it got close, I tensed up so much I knew it was going to be hopeless. Wondering if other people had the same problem, I went on the Babeland site and looked at reviews for the Orchid G, and sure enough there were a small handful of people who said that it was too big for insertion, very hard (it’s made out of plastic), or awkward. It is waterproof though, which is always great bonus in a toy.

The partner to this combo, The Smart Girl’s Guide to the G-spot by Violet Blue, is an extremely educational book. For those who don’t know a lot about the G-spot and would like to, this book would be a great place to start. She outlines female anatomy, finding the G-spot and what to do with it, tips for talking about it with a partner, and female ejaculation. The book is an easy read, and it’s nice having lots of G-spot information in one place. The very end also has an index of online shopping, resources, recommended reading, and safe sex information.

However, I did have a couple of problems with the book:

1. There are four porn interludes written by erotica writer Alison Tyler. Now, I could go off on how these stories were filled with your classic cheesy porn type of writing, or how some of them gave off an anti-feminist air, but I won’t. I will say, however, that these stories seemed like propaganda. They were simply a reiteration in story form of what Violet Blue had already written, and that plus the bad writing were off-putting to me.

2. Toward the end of the book, the G-spot almost disappears completely. Instead, the writing begins to focus on anal sex, clit stimulation, and BDSM. But, more on that later.

Overall, I do think that this is a good combo set. The vibrator seems great; my body just needs a smaller one. The book is very informative, but I felt like by the end of it I should have wanted to explore G-spot stimulation. Instead, I’m still not that interested in trying it out yet.

Vita

Before I say anything else, I think Babeland has a great idea in selling these two together; I’m all for combo sets that save you money. However, this one, to me, had two major flaws.

As a girl who only wears junior size tampons, I was a little startled by the Orchid G. Things never look quite as big online as they do in real life. This was the cause of Flaw #1: the Orchid G proved too big for little me, even with lube. As a clitoral vibrator, it’s great; it’s actually the strongest of all my toys (yes, everything I own is still battery-operated), and that was a fun discovery. Its Very Big Head felt great against me, and the twist at the bottom to control it was convenient enough. That same Very Big Head, though, has yet to fit where the book said I should put it. This seems like a shame, since the combination of strong vibrations and Very Big Head promises to be delightful…one day.

Now, onto the book. I’ve heard about it before but never had the chance to read it; g-spots intrigue me but I’m mostly an external stimulation kind of girl. Nonetheless, I found the first half of the book full of information that made me a little bit more curious than I had been. The writing style occasionally can be too cutesy for my taste, but the background, anatomy lesson, and general informative tidbits were useful and interesting. I have two major qualms with this book, however, that I’m adding up to make Flaw #2.

First, an entire chapter as well as parts of other chapters felt completely unnecessary and unrelated, like Z mentioned. Chapter 6, entitled “faster, deeper, more!”, was supposedly about ways to enhance g-spot play; specifically, she went into detail about anal sex, oral sex, and power play. And she did indeed go into detail: she covered the basics of anal, plugged her book The Ultimate Guide to Cunnilingus, and gave a variety of S/M options that seemed likely to scare off a beginner. In each section was a brief reference to how playing with the g-spot was great in addition to these tactics, but it felt tacked on, and I didn’t need pages on “Getting Started with Anal Penetration” to tell me that.

Second, there was erotica. Don’t get me wrong – I love erotica, when it’s well written and I’m in the perfect mood to enjoy it. But when I’m halfway through learning about my g-spot and I’m hesitant about the entire ordeal, a short story that feels like thinly veiled propaganda (to steal Z’s analogy) isn’t going to do anybody any good. I know it’s impossible to please everyone when it comes to erotica, but I feel like the chances aren’t in Violet Blue’s favor. Not only did the stories come across as didactic and/or forced, but they were unnecessary. I almost didn’t read the last two, but I’m glad I did, because they introduced me to great phrases like “to collect a fresh dose of your honeyed juices” and “I’m going to take you even further—to a tropical island called ‘coming together’”—not really what I cared about in an otherwise educational read.

All that said, there was a good deal of information in the book, and I wouldn’t by any means discount it. I wasn’t as huge a fan as I expected to be, but it’s certainly not a bad book. I love the idea of packaging it together with a vibrator to make the exploration that Violet Blue talks about at length convenient and easy, but at least for us, this combination didn’t do it. Now, if there were vibrator or size options for the combo, that could come closer to doing the trick. In the meantime, though, I’m quickly becoming a fan of the Orchid G for clit stimulation.

The Naked Truth

Orchid G

Aesthetics: 4 out of 5 stars

Intensity: 4 out of 5 stars

Volume: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Ease of Cleaning: 5 out of 5 stars

Functionality: 5 out of 5 stars (well, for external use)

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

The Smart Girl’s Guide to the G-spot

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: 5 out of 5 stars

Quality of Writing: 3 out of 5 stars

Entertainment Value: 2 out of 5 stars

Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Awww, what a cute pussy.

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Australlia bans depictions of small breasted women and depictions of female ejaculations. Words fail me.

LGBTQ:

Hawaii decides not to vote on same-sex civil unions this year because it is an election year. Boo Hawaii.
Testimony ends in Prop 8 trial. Appeal expected regardless of outcome.
eHarmony finally allows gay and lesbian users. Of course they had to be sued first.
Indiana senate Oks same sex marriage ban. Douches.

Education:

Planned Parenthood and Siecus release report on the failings of abstinence only education in Mississippi. Doy
The term oral sex in a dictionary causes problems in Riverside, Ca.
Wisconsin passes bill making teaching of birth control and STIs a mandatory part of sex ed.
Parents in Green county, OK are trying to get a book that makes reference to same sex couples raising kids pulled from school library shelves. Cause they are dumb.

Tech:

Bettersex.com says that LELO NEA is the sex toy of the year for 2009. Anyone surprised to see LELO win?
Adobe subtly points out that the iPad won’t play most internet porn. My blackberry does…

Drugs:

New emergency contraception effective up to five days after sex. Probably will give you cancer in 15 years.
Pfizer to tone down sexual innuendo in Viagra commercials. Pfizer still sucks.

General:

Older folks still getting fun-kay. And it makes them healthier.

Who cares:

Tiger Woods blah blah sex blah blah.
Bristol Palin vows no sex till marriage. And blathers to Oprah about it.
Andy Dick arrested for sexual assault.

Got a tip? Send it here

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Moregasm provided for review by Babeland

Although I’ve been a visitor to the Babeland website for years and have seen pictures of their stores, I’ve never actually been to one. I suspect reading their new book Moregasm is much like walking through the Babeland door, looking around, and having helpful employees answer all of your questions. In terms of design and photography, Moregasm follows an aesthetic that is hip, fun, colourful, and easy to read. It’s 800 times less embarrassing than sneaking a peak at your mom’s copy of some such sex guide made in the 60’s with two skinny, monster bushy lookin’ people “making love” on the cover. It’s also much safer than trusting some random sex blogger on the internet. (Ha!)

Claire Cavanah and Rachel Venning, the founders of Babeland, enlisted the help of Jessica Vitkus (writer), Sarah Small (photographer), and Headcase Design (duh) to bring Moregasm together. All involved deserve a big pat on the back. Not only is the book very informative – even for bold sexual adventurers who have a big cowboy belt buckle proclaiming, “been there, fucked that” – it also navigates the sticky terrain of not being too heavily biased toward Babeland products really well. They do an excellent job of presenting information in an exciting, yet easy to understand and comforting way. I wish this book had been there for me as a pre-teen. I probably would have still made some bad decisions, but I’d have this snazzy sex book to show off to my girlfriends!

Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh

As you may be able to tell from the pictures and my tone, it is precisely the youthful “hip-ness” of this book that may make older people feel silly or out of place when reading it. I’m not saying they wouldn’t find any of its information useful. My grandmother revealed to me a few months ago that until then my grandfather had never removed her bra. It’s a small example, but you get my point. I would urge any older man or woman reading this book to try seeing it as a new adventure, and not their sad attempt at being young and cool. (Please don’t torture yourself like that. If you don’t believe me because I’m too damn young to know any better, head over to Joan Price’s blog. She’s a smart lady.)

The only disappointment was in “The Satisfied Customer: The Lube Guide” section. It gives a brief introduction to lubricants – not mentioning SILICONE lube, by the way – and then offers three examples of Babeland water-based lubricants. In case you didn’t know, there are many, many, many different kinds of lube. Some are better than others, some are more expensive than others. It depends on your needs. When I was open to those two pages, I felt like I was reading a Babeland advertisement, not a guide to lubricant. Why did they not show an extensive variety as they did for other products like vibrators and anal toys? I don’t know. Since they did suggest a wider variety of products later in the book, I don’t see any reason to take huge issue with it. It’s just a little baffling, that’s all.

Lubricant is important, especially if you have problems with self-lubrication (which as Moregasm points out, may or may not be related to your level of desire) or for anal play, so I would suggest doing some research aside from what Moregasm offers in its pages.

Thankfully, several resources are listed in the back of Moregasm, from “BDSM” to “Youth”, so you can look up more information on topics of interest. It’s a nice continuation of the educate-yourself, sex-positive attitude.

I would eat both of those things. Possibly at the same time.

Joseph

Mimi has done an excellent job of covering Moregasm. I will play the part of the downer and add one final note.

Remember that this book is written by a sex product retailer and they sell everything that they promote in the book. Now as Mimi said, Babeland has done a great job of not being too biased in their promotions, but the fact still remains that they have a vested interest in promoting the products they promote.

So look through its hip and easily approachable pages. Take away lots and lots and lots of sex positive information. Say “Hallelujah, Woot, or Hells Fucking Yes” (whichever you prefer) that a business like Babeland exists.

Just be sure to do a little independent research before buying anything. = )

And now…a tap dance!

The Naked Truth

Aesthetics: 4 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: 5 out of 5 stars

Quality of Writing: 5 out of 5 stars

Entertainment Value: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

If you’re hungry for more, check out their first book: Sex Toys 101

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365 Reasons to Have Sex 2010 Calendar provided for review by Babeland

Mimi

365 Reasons to Have Sex Calendar

It sounds silly, so bear with me here, but I’m really particular about calendars. I mean, you are committed to using this calendar for an entire year to suit all of your time organizational needs – and to look appealing. Or make you giggle.

The 365 Reasons to Have Sex Calendar that we received from Babeland for review is stylishly put together and as I flipped through its pages, it did in fact make me giggle a few times. I’m not even a fan of the page-a-day calendar (you cannot really plan ahead with these calendars), but I am still pretty jazzed to have this on our desk.

Why? Well, it’s amusing. For each day you get a reason to have sex, “prep for sexcess” – which includes “The Pickup [line]” and “The Wisdom” – and the whole right side of the page is devoted to communicating with your partner how bad you want it, where, when, whether he or she should bring anything, and some more incentive points (“The kids won’t hear us.”). I always enjoy an excuse to leave Joseph a dirty message. This calendar gives me an excuse and a place to do it. Every. Beautiful. Glorious. Day. Of. 2010.

Eff yes.

A few reasons I especially enjoy:

“I’m freshly shaved.”

“The supply closet is unlocked.”

“I want to break in my new car.”

“Simon says.”

Joseph

Mimi is right. It is really silly to be particular about calendars.

She’s also right that this one kicks ass.

The Naked Truth

Entertainment Value: 5 out of 5 stars

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Functionality: 5 out of 5 stars

Ease of Cleaning: N/A

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

“Pussy is a good resolution, too.” What does that even mean? My wife is so crass.

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This is an appropriate first to our “Do it Yourself (heh)” section since I did it so badly.

First, what is a spreader bar? I’m going to field that question with a bulleted list.

• Bar
• Used to spread things

Sarcasm aside, it is simply a thin, hard object used to hold things like legs apart for extended periods of time. As such, they are exceedingly simple to make and use.

I personally used an old shower rod that I had lying around. Don’t worry, I know it is not normal to have shower rods lying around. You can also use canes, batons, three rulers taped together, or…anything between three and four and half feet long.

In order to transform my shower bar into a spreader bar…I put two holes in it. I just put a nail through both ends about 4 inches from the ends. The holes are for putting rope through in order to prevent the rope from slipping off the ends. After the holes were there, I wrapped some electrical tape around them because of the sharp metal edges. Tetanus is not sexy.

And…that’s it.

1. Find a pole.
2. Put some holes in it.
3. Put some rope through the holes.
4. Have fun!

If you don’t want to damage whatever you choose to use or you’re just very lazy, you can skip the second step. Just don’t bitch when your rope slips off the end. I warned you.

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The Anal Sex Position Guide provided by Eden Fantasys

Joseph

I found The Anal Sex Position Guide by Tristan Taormino to be fairly excellent.

There is not much explanation required for this one. Taormino likes her titles to be fairly telling of the subject matter and this book is no exception. It is an anal sex position guide.

As with all of Taormino’s work that I’ve seen, she prefaces the bulk of the book with information about responsible and respectful practices. This includes anatomical information, safe sex practices, a chapter about the importance of communication, a dispelling of common anal sex myths, and a good discussion about the importance of warm-up.

After she gives you the tools you need to succeed, Taormino jumps right into the position guide. She simply breaks down the positions with an explanation of how they are done, the pros and cons of each, and any variations to that position. Accompanying each position description is at least one picture of perfect, airbrushed people demonstrating the position and making faces that they think they would make if they were actually doing it. As you can probably tell by the snarky way in which I described them, perfect airbrushed people leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. However, I think they are fairly appropriate for this book. They are for demonstration purposes only so it is ok for them to be mannequins.

About the only issue that I have with this book (I have to have one problem with everything, it is in my nature) is the subtitle: The Best Positions for Easy, Exciting, Mind-Blowing Pleasure. I can agree that anal sex can be mind-blowing and is almost always exciting for one reason or another. However, I just can’t get behind (heh) calling it easy. Asses are finicky and everything has to be just right for anal sex to work and that ain’t easy. Taormino’s book certainly makes it easier, though.

Mimi

My experience with anal sex has been fairly standard in terms of positions – Missionary, Spooning, Doggie Style, Flying Doggie, and Horizontal Tailgate – with me almost always on the receiving end, so Tristan Taormino’s The Anal Sex Position Guide arrived here with a warm welcome. Sometimes a little extra nudge in the way of practical advice and men and women with bodies made of fantasy is what you need to try something new. And where ever you are in your anal sex escapades, The Anal Sex Position Guide is sure to offer you some useful information that is approachable and classy.

Similar to her writing in Opening Up, Taormino’s voice is friendly and casual, yet direct and clear in its attempt to guide. I feel like Taormino is someone I could talk to without feeling embarrassed or intimidated. It’s an excellent balance she creates in her writing. I love how she talks extensively about safe anal sex practices, lubricants, and toys for both men and women. This book will be most useful to someone who is new to anal sex, but it has other advantages for more experienced individuals. It’s also a great tool for instances where one individual in a couple wants to try something, but they don’t know how to bring it up or discuss it.

As you may or may not have picked up on, me and Joseph are gradually moving into anal play for him, which I have a little bit of experience with but hardly enough to count. Prior to our relationship, I was incredibly uncomfortable with the idea of using a strap-on and became squeamish at the mere thought of using one. It’s not me! I can’t tell what I’m doing! That sort of problem. Chapter 11 Anal Pleasure for Men & Strap-On Sex and Chapter 12 Positions for Strap-On Anal Sex were really useful and really comforting. I was open to the idea of using a strap-on with Joseph before reading The Anal Sex Position Guide, but now I am mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared to attempt this new and exciting activity in our lives.

I can sympathize with Joseph about the models, but I also think that, like Taormino mentioned in the book itself, anal sex is in a sense coming out of the shadows and when you’re presenting a concept that can be difficult for a lot of people, it’s important to try meeting them halfway. Glossy pages, sensual and warm colors, using a traditional perception of human physical beauty – these things make a book about putting things in your butt less… like putting things in your butt. I’m not ashamed of my actions – or my pleasure – and I don’t think I should be. I am a clean, healthy, self-respecting individual. Not everyone shares this perspective.

Also, I’m sure young, sexy, you’ll-never-look-like-this-and-you’ll-never-fuck-anyone-that-does-either models help books sell.  And I don’t mind Taormino making a buck. Or a lot of bucks.

In short, The Anal Sex Position Guide has offered me some needed confidence to pursue my interests. It has done so with style yet without pretention. Can’t argue with that.

The Naked Truth:

Design: 5 out of 5 stars

Readability: 5 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: 5 out of 5 stars

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars

It’s good to have hobbies.

$19.99The Anal Sex Position Guide Book by Tristan Taormino Format: Paperback Publisher: Quiver Buy from EdenFantasys

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Nina Hartley’s Advanced Guide to Anal Sex for Men and Women provided for us by http://www.tabutoys.com/

Joseph

Nina Hartley’s Advanced Guide to Anal Sex for Men and Women had some valuable information and some hot anal sex. It also had some obnoxious imperfections.

It opens with Nina Hartley and Kylie Ireland sitting behind a table loaded with various sex toys and discussing safe and pleasurable techniques for anal sex. They candidly discuss everything from how to feel better about anal hygiene to how to properly clean sex toys once they have been in your ass.

After the lead in discussion, the film transitioned to the demonstration section. Nina Hartley does a scene with Christian that I thought was very hot. They talk to one another, they take turns playing with one another’s ass, and they made each other cum. Nina Hartley has a very real and very loud orgasm with Christian is fucking her ass and she is using a vibrator on her clit. She screams, she convulses, and she laughs. It is everything an orgasm should be and it is exquisite.

Hartley continues the education through most of this scene, stopping to briefly discuss technique and safety. It can be somewhat tedious at times, but it is nice that she is trying to stay true to the educational aspect of the program.

We then move on to a scene with Adrianna Nicole and Evan Stone that is really just a sex scene. There is no instruction and there is no anal play with Evan Stone. It seems somewhat as though Nina Hartley wanted to make an educational video but Adam & Eve Pictures told her that to do so, she must include a regular porn scene. It felt out of place. There was anal sex in it, but it was the same kind of anal sex you can see in almost any porn.

The obnoxious imperfections that I mentioned earlier are a couple of little things and one big thing. The little things are noises in the background and a boom mic being visible briefly. I know, I know…that’s nit picky cause this is porn, right? Well, I think that I a lot of the problem with the porn industry. Noises in the background would not get by on even lowest quality network television show. Just because you are cramming a pink rod up someone’s ass doesn’t mean it is ok accept mediocrity.

Standards, people, standards.

The big thing is that even though this is called Nina Hartley’s Advanced Guide to Anal Sex for Men and Women, there is no male on male anal sex in the film. That’s almost a deal breaker for me. For a guide to anal sex for MEN, there should be some homosexual male interaction. It seems like it should be obvious.

Despite that, it is definitely worth a view or two.

Mimi

“There will be unsuccessful attempts along the way. You need to show compassion for yourself and your partner to get through them.” – Nina Hartley

Nina Hartley’s Advanced Guide to Anal Sex for Men and Women offers a lot of practical advice very quickly, such as what to look for in a sex toy and possibilities for use of a sex toy in addition to anal sex, and if an award was given to the best sex positive cheerleader, it would totally be Nina Hartley. I’ve never been so cheerfully encouraged to stick my tongue in someone’s ass before. She brings a lot of humanity to porn that I think is too often lacking. For example, at one point in the introduction scene with her and Kylie Ireland, friend and “co-host”, Nina Hartley mentions that warming up for anal sex is a process and that when people jump right into it in pornographic films, we’re not seeing all the previous activities leading up to that point. The film and the fantasy are separate from real life scenarios.

Casual, playful humor carries on through to Nina Hartley’s “demonstration” with Christian, which was, by the way, really hot. Some of the commentary Nina Hartley made during the scene was a little tedious (I can SEE what you’re doing there, you know), but overall, I found her comments, giggling, and smiling to be really charming. The environment was sexy, Nina Hartley was sexy, Christian was sexy, and they even managed to make the Hitachi Magic Wand look kind of sexy.

Most importantly (to me), the scene appeared to be very equal in regards to the performer’s individual pleasure, and knowing how much these beautiful people were into it made the scene especially arousing.  As Nina Hartley points out later to Kylie Ireland, it’s admirable for a man to communicate his desires in regard to receiving anal play because of all the homophobic pressures placed upon our men. There was quite a lot of discussion – visually supplemented by exposed breasts and lingerie – about confronting the taboos of anal sex.

My only complaints about the film are basically the same as those that Joseph already made, so I won’t repeat them in my own review. However, I will mention that the last scene between Adrianna Nicole and Evan Stone could be improved if their dialogue was more clearly audible since dirty talk was obviously a big component of the scene and might have made it special, but mostly I found their interaction annoyingly familiar and thus forgettable.

Also, no condoms? Anywhere? I realize that this is a debated issue in porn and often remains up to personal preference, but in an educational film about sex, especially anal sex, it seems really remiss to leave it out of discussion and out of “instructional” scenes.

As an aside, I have looked at some old photographs of Nina Hartley and in my opinion she now looks better than ever.

We are quick learners.

The Naked Truth:

Aesthetics: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Level of Arousal: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: 4 out of 5 stars

Storyline: N/A

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

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Tristan Taormino’s “Opening Up” Provided by us by our favorite: Babeland

Mimi

“Opening Up” is not just about fucking multiple people. This book is about re-thinking what history and culture has brought us, then make a decision for yourself. Are you monogamous because you consciously choose to be or because everyone in your family is monogamous? Would you be happier if you could pursue your interest in the same sex? Can you be the submissive that your primary partner wants? Do you believe that the current family structure is really the best for raising children? These are the kind of questions you’ll ask yourself (and perhaps your partner) while reading this book and probably long after your done. It’s an excellent beginning to an exciting, interesting, and totally relevant subject.

Joseph

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Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide to Oral Sex: Part One, Cunnilingus

Again, provided for us by our fabulous friends at Babeland

Joseph

I have read a good many cunnilingus guides in my time. I was a rather late bloomer, keeping my virginity until the age of 23. In my insecure mind, I thought that I was going to be rather disappointing to my first partner (which actually turned out to be true, but for different reasons than I expected) so I thought that I should learn ways to compensate for my inexperience. I read countless online tutorials. I even sampled some of the books at Barnes & Noble that claimed to be able to teach “tongue magic”.

I have been told by every woman that I have been with that I am quite skilled with my mouth. I don’t think that I am talented or gifted in that regard. I think the thing that sets me apart from most is that I enjoy cunnilingus. So much so that I daydream about making Her moan with nothing but my tongue and lips.

Looking back, I do not think that any of the guides or books had anything in them that was not common sense. “Listen to your lover,” and “Ask what she likes,” and “The clitoris is extremely sensitive.”

Tristan’s guide was much the same, but with people acting out the advice.

Broken up into several sections and scenes with different people, the DVD illustrates all of the teaching points with visual aid. Yes. People performing cunnilingus. As much as it markets itself otherwise, there is still a lot of  ”porn” element to this DVD. Men on women, women on women, with and without commentary. In addition to guided instruction, the DVD offers a good feature on safer cunnilingus which I am always in favor of.

This DVD would be great for young men or women seeking to get a good overview of technique and communication practice. It would be (and was) useful for a more experienced couple as a reminder to always slow down and experiment. Aside from moments when its porn roots show through, it gets my seal of approval.

Mimi

I am very lucky to have a partner that is notably talented at performing cunnilingus, so when we chose to get “Tristan Taormino’s Expert Guide to Oral Sex: Part One Cunnilingus”, it was not a rescue mission. In a bold stretch of arrogance, we had even considered that the video wouldn’t have anything to teach. If nothing else, we hoped to be comforted by the knowledge that a good, educational video about cunnilingus existed out in the world – one that people might actually watch.

We decided to go about it like this: he would watch the video alone, then work his magic when I got home, and then we could talk about any improvements that may have been made. I noticed that he slowed down more, and that was, primarily, the change. It makes a difference. Based on my experience and the things other women have told me, a lot of people tend to forget that they need to slow down, that the build-up is very important. The video emphasized that a lot, which I think is a really great thing.

It also emphasized experimentation (various ideas for tongue and hand movement were offered), sex toy use, and a woman’s responsibility to communicate her desires. Surely body language can offer a lot of useful feedback, but sometimes you really need to say, “Could you move your finger a little more to the left?” These are not things that we needed to be taught or reminded of, necessarily, but I’m sure it would be helpful for other people given how carefully these ideas and actions are presented to the viewer.

One thing that I really liked about the video, once I got around to watching it, was a special mini feature devoted to safer cunnilingus. Taormino narrated a young, attractive couple demonstrating each method in such a way that the information is clearly understandable and approachable in practice. Aside from condoms, which exist very near the surface of sexual conscientiousness, tools and methods of safer sexual activities always seem kind of awkward and mood killing. This video takes away some of that awkwardness.

There is, of course, a lot of cunnilingus in the video, with and without commentary. There’s also a “bonus” section where Justine Joli, a sexy redhead leading the hands-on workshop, and her assistant, Ariel, go at it on a couch, which didn’t particularly do it for me, although finally seeing the redhead naked was certainly fulfilling the promise of a bonus. It was a bit strange to hear standard “educational video” music as the background to blatantly pornographic scenes, but I think this DVD navigated the peculiar state of being educational and pornographic fairly well.

The Naked Truth:

Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 stars

Level of Arousal: 2 out of 5 stars

Educational Value: 5 out of 5 stars

Storyline: N/A

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars – Given the fact that this DVD’s main purpose is educational.

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